Gameplay Overview

Powerful, quite literally explosive, simple yet effective, and a force to be reckoned with when in the correct hands. These are all words which typically describe Ralf Jones of The Ikari Warriors, and they still hold true to the depiction of the character present within XIV. Ralf is a flexible character, as his uses for meter can vary greatly depending on how he is utilized making him an effective character for a multitude of playstyles. As a seasoned KOF player may have come to expect, Ralf excels at establishing pressure via the use of his notable pokes, these pokes referring to st.C, st.D, and Ralf's Standing CD in particular. Once Ralf has successfully broken his opponent's defense, his fast normals coupled with his at times incredibly high damage output allow for massive amounts of threatening pressure to be applied with little down-side. No matter the skill level, Ralf's ease of use and true effectiveness at higher levels make it so that any player can comfortably utilize THE RAAALF!

-LEbrosaber

Normals

Standing

st. A - A quick jab. Useful for preventing hop ins, useful for Ralf’s neutral game. Can be linked to another st. A or even into Vulcan Punch(careful with auto combo). At certain ranges it can be used to max mode into but timing is crucial and Ralf has better options into going into max mode than this normal.

st. B - A short kick. Not a very useful tool for neutral. It’s around the same length as st. A, a frame slower than st.A, can’t be linked into another normals and specials. Use st. A more than st. B

st. C - A far ranging arm swing that whiffs crouchers. Even though this normal whiffs crouchers it is still a great tool to use for Ralf’s neutral game can be used as to Anti-air opponents as well. It is pretty fast and it can be Quick Maxed into

st. D - A far kick one legged kick. One of Ralf’s best normal a lot of characters in this game have a hard time punishing it. Can be Quick maxed into, can be used as an Anti-Air. A neat trick with this normal is buffering qcf+D and once it connects with the opponent do qcf+A/C and you will get a Galactica Phantom that will connect

Close

cl. A - A quick elbow. Can be used to confirm into Quick Max better to link Jet Upper for more damage and a better tool to Quick Max into and bring crouchers standing up

cl. B - A quick knee. Can be used to confirm into Quick Max better to link Jet Upper. Pretty similar to cl. A a bit more slower in the speed department.

cl. C - An arcing punch. Unlike Clark and previous versions of Ralf this normal is only 1 hit. Special cancellable.

cl. D - A hard knee to the stomach. This will be your main method of max mode confirms that lead to big damage. Always go for a Jet Upper when you hit your opponent with cl.D Special cancellable.

Crouching

cr. A - A quick jab. Special cancellable. 0 on block.

cr. B - A mid range crouching kick, A very good tool to get into Quick Max combos using jet upper(DF A) to connect. Special cancellable. Can be chain cancelled. +3 on block.

cr. C - A long range horizontal ground poke. What differentiates this with st. D is that it lowers Ralf’s hurtbox vertically. Special cancellable.

cr. D - One legged sweep. A very far reaching sweep. It is -1 on block one of the few sweeps in the game that is very quick on recovery.

Jumping

j. A - Can be used as an instant overhead but not able to connect dive bomber punch off of it. Viable as an air to air even a jump in.

j. B - This is a great air to air tool use. Could be used as a pretty okay jump in tool to cr. B, df.A. Can crossup standing and crouching opponents.

j. C - Great jump in tool as Ralf goes pretty low in the air

j. D - Can also be used as an instant overhead, very far reaching jump ins can work with this as well but j.C has a lower reach than j.D

j. CD: Long range kicks that has good diagonal hitbox. Good on pressuring opponents.

Throws

Dynamite Headbutt - (b/f+C) close

As the name suggests, Ralf grabs the opponent’s head and headbutts them.

Causes a soft knockdown.

Can be teched

Head Strike - (b/f+D) close

(Throw description)

Command Moves

Jet Upper - (df + A)

Ralf throws out an uppercut that brings one of his arms above his head. Doesn’t move Ralf forward. Brings crouchers into the standing position. Can be linked into all of Ralf’’s Close Normals and can be used for confirming from crouching light normals at a close range. Can also be used to anti air full jumping opponents, but it does not possess great horizontal range.

Special Moves

Ralf Kick - (hcb+B/D)

hcb+B: Launches Ralf forward and tries to drop kick on the opponent. However, it does have long startup.

hcb+D (feint): A feint that launches Ralf forward. In the air, it can be used to cancel into qcf+A/C.

EX: Faster startup and is often used in combos. It is safe on block.

Ralf Impact - (rdp+A/C)

rdp+A: Faster startup and is safe on block. Good on breaking the opponent’s guard. +4 on block.

rdp+C: Longer startup and is safe on block. Generally used in frametrap situations and does a lot of damage to breaking the opponent’s Guard Gauge. +7 on block.

EX: Causes wall bounce.

Dynamite Ralf Punch - (qcb+A/C)

qcb+A version: Shorter mushroom cloud. It is often used to build meter safely with fast startup and faster recovery. It does not have invincibility, but can also be used to nullify projectiles.

qcb+C: A big mushroom cloud. Longer startup but can be used to anti air opponents effectively. Can also be used to build meter.

EX: Plus on block.

Vulcan Punch - (Mash A/C)

A series of punches that causes a soft knockdown on hit. Can be used for meterless combos after crouching normals confirm.

EX:: Does extra damage.

Gatling Attack - (hcf+A/C)

hcf+A version: Safe on block and is generally used to confirm after crouching normals.

Acts as overhead and can catch crouching opponents off-guard. It is also hard to punish as it pushes Ralf quite far and lands on the ground fast.

EX: Invincibility during the start

Super Special Moves

Galactica Phantom - (qcf, qcf+A/C) (HOLD OK)

A chargeable super where it does more damage the longer it is charged. It is often used in combos.

EX: Has guard point while charging. Like the Non-EX version, the longer it is charged, the more damage.

Bareback Vulcan Punch - (qcb~hcf+B/D)

12 frames of startup. Ralf charges forward to his opponents, subdues them, and then lands a barrage of punches to their face and then sends them off with a big explosion. Causes a hard knockdown.

EX: Faster startup and can be used to anti air opponents. 9 frames of startup. Causes a hard knockdown.

Climax Super Special Moves

Ralf Super Phalanx - (hcb, hcb+A+C)

Ralf slams his fists together and proceeds to give a barrage of punches to the opponent. The opponent staggers as they receive the blows before Ralf finishes them off with one dramatic serious punch that causes explosions. Mission complete.

Has short horizontal hitbox, but can be used to anti air opponents. Also often used in combos.

Combos

Meterless: Punches that end in his Vulcan Punch. 138 DMG.

1 Meter: Punches that end in his Bareback Vulcan Punch. 223 DMG

EX: Punches that end in his EX Bareback Vulcan Punch. 345 DMG

0 meter

Anywhere Position:

cr. B, st A, df+A, hcf A = 174 DMG

(good to use as a block string because hcf+A is neutral on block, but the opponent can guard cancel roll the df+A away, then punish Ralf)

cl. D, df. A, hcf C = 247 DMG

(causes soft knockdown. Can be started with cr. B, st.A then df+A to start with a low attack.)